The Team Spirit
by gluegirl56
Summary: Tag to the Lost Tribe. A late gathering in the mess hall leads to a discussion about life and death and what being a team means. A team Sheppard story with Keller.


Stargate Atlantis – The Team Spirit

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Characters: Team Sheppard and Keller

Spoilers: First Contact and the Lost Tribe (Tag)

Time: Season 5

_I really should finish The Report but...Anyway here is a short little something._

_At least I tried to make it short. I hope you enjoy and if you do I would appreciate a review. _

Beta reading by Obsessed Pam _(Thank you very much)_

oooooooooo

The mess hall 6 hours after returning to Atlantis

Sheppard staggered to a quiet table in the corner of the mess hall. Not that it mattered where he chose to sit because not many people occupied the room at midnight. He put down his steaming cup of coffee unfocused and uncoordinated; his mind wandering. The cup landed harshly on the surface of the table causing his throbbing head to scream in protest at the noise.

Teyla suddenly stood behind him with jello in her hand looking dead on her feet. He jumped at her sudden appearance. She smiled briefly at him before positioning herself opposite him.

"You caught me off guard sneaking up on me like that." He sounded tired. And he wondered briefly if he had lost his senses.

She closed her eyes for a moment before looking directly at him concerned. "I wasn't sneaking, in fact I stumbled on my way here and it probably echoed through the whole room."

She broke eye contact and looked out through the window at the city illuminating the ocean with all its lights. "These past days have been…adventurous to say at least."

She could feel his gaze drifting towards her. "I am tired John. I am tired of this constant distrust between the people in this galaxy."

He looked at her; hazel eyes meeting dark chocolate ones in a quiet moment of understanding. There was no spark in her eyes and dark circles started to form beneath them.

"How's Torren?" he asked surprising her.

She smiled softly at the mention of her son. "He is fine; he is sleeping."

She sighed and let a hand run through her hair. "He does not know what games we play John."

He looked at her waiting for her to continue and she looked back at him seriously. "He does not know of all the evil in this world. When I look at him I see pure joy and innocence, things that I lost so long ago."

"We are doing everything we can to make it better and we are making progress," Sheppard replied softly.

"I know, it's just that it's so frustrating. In one day…" She trailed off and looked at the Jello in front of her. "…in one day I could have lost you all." She raised her head and stared out through the window watching the city's lights reflecting on the mirror-like surface of the ocean.

"I…" She looked at him again, tearing her eyes from the beauty of the night."I didn't know John, whether or not I was going to see you again."

"Teyla…" His voice held a pleading note; he hated these conversations.

"When the explosion occurred I…almost panicked and if Marie hadn't come…I cannot explain why because I know, we both know that what we are doing is dangerous."

John looked down into the depths of his cup.

"At that time I didn't know what had happened to Rodney or what evil forces had taken him. The fact that they seemed to be more advanced than us was unsettling to say the least. Then there were Ronon and Jennifer; we hadn't heard anything from the Daedalus. Zelenka was with you and who would take care of Atlantis if you had died?"

"Teyla." He looked at her with sorrow in his eyes.

"Scattered…we were scattered and I felt so helpless." She closed her eyes and her mind drifted. Images formed and it was too late to stop them now.

oooooooooo

"_I want you out of here." _

"_John, I" _

"_Teyla, please." _

ooooooooo

"You ordered me out of there."

oooooooooo

"_Colonel Sheppard."_

"_What the hell is going on; where is Caldwell?"_

"_I am afraid I had to relieve him and his crew of duty…"_

"…_you have activated the Attero device." _

"_I have to admit; in a way I am impressed. I was there ten thousand years ago…"_

"…_how many of their precious stargates it would destroy; how many humans it would kill."_

"_For every minute that goes by without you telling me where this device is, I will kill a member of your expedition…"_

oooooooooo

She saw Woolsey standing there with a pleading look on his face. She saw John's jaw set and his body tense. She had wanted him to give Todd the coordinates saving millions of people, but she knew that in the end it would kill not only Rodney, but Jennifer and Ronon too.

"Todd was going to kill everyone off of the Daedalus and by giving him the coordinates we would kill Rodney and Doctor Jackson."

oooooooooo

Then the travelers came.

"_It was the first colony…"_

"_We could see the explosion from space…"_

"_I have never witnessed anything that powerful." _

"…_we lost three thousand people…" _

oooooooooo

"You took off with the travelers and you left me totally alone. Before I met you and you became part of my family I was depending on my people and I fought to be strong for them." She looked into his hazel eyes.

"Now I am depending on you, Rodney and Ronon. I am not as strong as I was before."

"Teyla I will always be there for you."

"I truly hope so John but you place yourself in such dangers that I am afraid that one day…" She didn't finish this because he knew what she meant.

She placed her hand on his. "I would always be there for you too."

oooooooooo

Footsteps echoed over the floor and Teyla smiled faintly at the appearance of their common friends. Jennifer Keller tried to rub away the tiredness from her eyes but didn't quite succeed. Ronon was trailing behind the doctor with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Hi guys," Jennifer mumbled tiredly removing her hands from her face.

"Wow doc you look like you could use some coffee." John quipped.

She glared at him.

"No offense," John felt the need to add.

"Sit down before you fall down. I will go and get something for both of us," Ronon said and moved away.

Sheppard frowned. "What's with Chewie?"

"Umm…" Keller began but seemed to change her mind and kept quiet.

"There's been a lot on our minds lately." Teyla said to his defense and Keller's relief.

"Yeah," John admitted and let the matter drop. He looked at Keller. "So how's Jackson doing?"

Jennifer sighed. "He is going to be fine and he will be leaving for the SGC tomorrow; apparently they want him back."

"He is staying in a nice, cozy bed," she added feeling her eyes closing after 5 hours work in the infirmary after the past day's event. Not that she had to because Doctor Cole would have relieved her but she needed to take her mind off certain things.

"I don't know doc, I could call the infirmary beds many things, but nice and cozy just aren't them." John said.

"Still it's a bed." She returned.

Ronon walked up to them and sat down next to Teyla as Jennifer sat next to John. He handed her a steaming cup of strong coffee.

"Thank's Ronon," she said gratefully.

Ronon couldn't help but soften a bit when he looked at her. Her kindness and spirit reminded him of old times and of another person on Sateda so long ago. Memories faded but he did everything he could to keep the memory of his soul mate fresh in his mind. Maybe this was for the best; that Keller was interested in someone else.

Maybe he was still chasing what fate had denied him; a mutual and true love. Perhaps he wanted it to be like it once was. He didn't know anymore. All he did know was that fate had not only taken but also given. It had given him a new home and friends who shared their lives with him making them his second family. A family that would do anything for him and for whom he would do anything. It was part of what had driven him over the past years and what had driven him on board the Daedalus; that and his hatred for the Wraith.

Even if Sheppard had shared a special moment with Todd, he hadn't and he would never trust a Wraith for as long as he lived. If Sheppard hadn't opened that wormhole they would all be dead. It would be his time to save John the next time if not McKay did it first.

He concentrated on the present. "Where is McKay?"

"I don't know but it's kinda nice and quiet without him," John said sarcastically. Everyone knew he didn't mean it.

"The last time I saw him was in the infirmary talking with Doctor Jackson or rather eating his food," Jennifer said.

John snorted shaking his head.

Teyla watched as the door opened and revealed a hunched figure. "I do not believe he is too far away."

"There you are," Rodney said tiredly. "You know one would think that you would fall asleep standing on your feet after a day like this but every time I close my eyes I see small vicious aliens trying to kill me."

He pulled up a chair next to Ronon and Jennifer. "The images are repeated over and over and I tried to work in the lab to keep them away. I tried to focus on their bodily armor but I didn't succeed."

"You might wanna be careful with it," John cautioned.

Rodney smiled at him. "You have blown a lot of things to pieces recently."

Sheppard shrugged but grimaced as his shoulder protested the action.

Jennifer glared at him turning into doctor mode. Then she turned to Rodney again. "How are you feeling?" She asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Ow! You are touching a sore spot." He grimaced.

John smiled.

"What?" McKay glared at him.

"It's good to have you back Rodney," he stated simply.

"Yeah." Ronon added and slapped him lightly on the other shoulder.

The scientist pulled another grimace; a pained look on his face.

"Another sore spot?" Teyla asked innocently.

He nodded. "You should have seen how they treated us. I am bruised all over."

Rodney let his head rest in his hands. He was feeling lethargic; he didn't seem to be able to store energy anymore. He lifted his head looking straight out through the window letting the sight calm him.

"You know for a short while back there I thought…I didn't think I would see you all again. That we would die out there. And I blamed myself for setting foot in that stupid lab."

He looked at them seeing their tired faces. "If I'd known what I had started." Rodney said.

"Rodney you didn't start the Attero device system," Teyla said reassuringly.

His head snapped up and he looked directly at her; upset. "Yes I did."

She looked at him patiently as if waiting for him to realize something.

"Well not in the lab but later. The last time I blew out a solar system and now…"

"Don't indulge in self-pity McKay it doesn't suit you," Sheppard ordered annoyed.

"Don't interrupt me; I was onto something!" he replied. Knowing he was pushing it too far, he sighed and met John's eyes. "I know; I'm tired and I'm not myself right now. Tomorrow I'll deny even saying this."

"Rodney," Teyla said cautiously.

"You know the day Daniel Jackson stepped through the gate I had a bad feeling about this." He glared at John angrily. "I tried to tell you."

John had a wicked smile on his face for a while before turning serious again and looked over at Ronon. "What happened on the Daedalus?"

The Satedan shrugged. "Not a big deal, we took it back."

Jennifer looked at him unbelievingly. "Not a big deal? Ronon he tried to kill us all."

He crossed his arms. "Well he didn't succeed did he?"

"Did he tell you why?" Teyla asked.

"We weren't on the bridge when it happened but later he claimed to be on a mission for you." She turned to look at John.

"I am not sure I see it the same way he did," Sheppard replied and in his voice was an underlying anger.

Jennifer suddenly realized a lot of things had transpired during the time she and Ronon had been on the Daedalus.

"He locked us in trying to keep us away from his…arrangement," Ronon said.

"I thought that was it," Jennifer confessed. "When the door closed behind us…I hate to admit it but, I really thought we would die on that ship. I fought to keep my hands from shaking and I was angry at myself for feeling that way."

"Jennifer there is nothing wrong with that," Teyla said softly.

"I am not like you, taking big decisions affecting hundreds of people, fighting the enemy. I am not good in situations like that." She looked at them one at a time, but their tired faces held no grudge.

"You shouldn't be doc. You are a healer," Sheppard said.

"Yeah but I don't like guns; they can do irreparable damage and even if I dislike the Wraith I don't like to kill them." She looked at Ronon making sure he understood that she didn't appreciate his gesture of throwing her a P90. "Perhaps I am a coward."

"A coward wouldn't hand him or herself over to the enemy to what could have been certain death," Ronon replied.

She smiled. "Thank you. I know I am sulking and I am sorry."

"No need doc, that's what happens when you spend too much time around McKay," Sheppard stated sarcastically.

"Hey!" Rodney protested.

Ronon had an amused look on his face watching the scientist and he felt the tension finally leaving him. He watched John take a sip of his coffee and he saw Teyla's watchful eye. "So Sheppard, what really happened here while we were gone?"

"Actually I was planning on coming along but Woolsey likes to do things by the book. I was to take over command. And the first day started good; I was even bored because everything went smoothly. Then at the late evening I was called to the command tower."

He sighed. "I should have known it wouldn't be good when an unknown ship suddenly went past our shield. Nothing seemed to stop them and I had no clue what they were after until they disappeared through the floor."

John looked at Rodney. "I tried to warn you."

"You could have stopped by," He countered.

"I was twenty floors up!" John argued.

Rodney pointed a finger at himself. "I was up for twenty-four hours searching Janus' lab then I was shot and abducted. You could have given me some warning." He rubbed his eyes. " Ow! Even thinking about it hurts."

John wisely chose to ignore the comment. "The next thing I knew Rodney and Dr. Jackson were gone, taken right in front me."

Teyla sighed. Whether she wanted it or not she saw the aliens, saw Rodney being abducted right in front of her. "We fired at them, emptied two full magazines before we managed to crack one of the suits. We took the alien to the infirmary trying to find out who they were; what was hiding beneath the protection."

Teyla looked at Rodney. "Zelenka couldn't find anything."

"That doesn't surprise me," McKay replied confidently.

She glared at him. "When we tried to cut our way through it, a self-destruct was initialized and we had to run for our lives."

John turned to Jennifer. "I am sorry about the infirmary doc,"

"Yeah, you made quite a mess."

He smiled faintly at her and then turned towards Rodney. "We searched all night trying to find out what they had taken besides you and who they might be."

"Asgard renegades. They wanted us to start the Attero device. They threatened us…I didn't know about the exploding gates." Rodney looked at Teyla. "I did start the Attero device. When I realized what I had done, I tried to shut it down but they fought harder in trying to stop me."

Teyla nodded. "When Zelenka managed to find out where they might have taken you, we dialed but something went very wrong. Radek called us back telling us the gate seemed to be overloading and we ran back to the gate room."

The Athosian glanced over at Sheppard. "Luckily John thought of collapsing the shield around the gate to minimize the explosion."

"Unfortunately that wasn't enough."

She turned to John, a sad and accusing expression on her face. "You ordered me out of there."

This time he met her gaze.

"Yes, along with everyone else as you might recall."

When she continued to look at him sadly he sighed. "Teyla you had Torren to think about, I was expendable."

Rodney looked at him in bewilderment. "Expendable? Are you daft? You have got to stop that suicidal thinking of yours. Isn't it bad enough that we have lost Elizabeth and Carson?"

"I am alive, aren't I?"

"When the explosion hit the tower I couldn't reach you. I didn't know what condition I would find you in; if you were living and breathing. If you hadn't been wearing that Tac vest…"

"But I did," he replied almost defensively.

Rodney snorted. "And you just walked away from there, hmm?"

Jennifer playfully slapped John on the shoulder.

"Ouch." He grimaced glaring at her. "Do you know the words; _do no harm_?"

She smirked at him. "I was updated briefly when we came back. You are lucky Colonel."

John looked Rodney answering his question, "No I didn't."

Ronon smiled "Sheppard has nine lives."

Rodney looked at him. "Nine…more like nineteen."

Sheppard glanced out through the window. "When the Daedalus came back I thought we were back on track again but no; there was Todd."

John saw Ronon's expression harden.

He continued, "He called to tell us about our mistake. That he would do whatever it took to shut down the device taken from the lab."

"He did give us the answers to our questions," Teyla added.

"He told you about the Attero device?" Rodney wondered.

John closed his eyes and for a fleeting moment he was back in the afternoon, back in that particular moment.

"_Tell me the coordinates or I'll feed on Mr. Woolsey before your eyes." _

"And then he was gone taking you and the Daedalus with him. We were back at square one."

"We couldn't save Rodney and we couldn't save you." Teyla looked at Jennifer and Ronon sadly. "If only Atlantis could have had the power to fly herself."

"They sealed us in," Jennifer added. "After what seemed like an eternity a bunch of Wraith soldiers came."

"Who I killed," Ronon added with pride. "We started to sabotage the ship. I blew the circuitry away."

"You what? You could have hit something vital." McKay glared at the Satedan.

The glare was returned. "That was the point."

"I meant the life support system."

"We lost the hyperdrive and Todd was furious. He threatened to start killing people," Jennifer explained.

"So you felt the need to turn yourself in?" Ronon asked her bitterly. Thinking about it made him angry.

oooooooooo

"_He is bluffing." _

"_No he is not." _

"_Where are you going?" _

"_I am turning myself in." _

"_He is gonna start killing people." _

"_He will kill you."_

oooooooooo

He looked at Jennifer. "I was angry at first for being outsmarted. But I was not angry at you but with myself and I was worried that it would be the last time I saw you."

Keller nodded. "I stood face to face with him and he claimed to be on a mission from you." She looked at John. "Then I didn't understand, but I do now. He actually trusts you."

She looked out over the ocean and she seemed so far away, back on the ship. "He ordered his men to take me down to the rest of the crew."

Jennifer averted her eyes to fix the Satedan with a stare. "Sometimes you scare me, Ronon," she said, her voice low and serious. "But I am glad you were there."

He acknowledged her with a short nod "I heard them; I waited for them. We freed the rest of the crew, but it was too late."

"Todd told me he had taken care of things; that the facility would cease to exist," The doctor explained.

"Yes, by ramming the Daedalus into it. Oh, thank you; I am so glad I got away from there in one piece. And that doctor Jackson survived as well…of course."

"The Wraith had set the destination and we couldn't access the controls. We were on a collision course with the facility on the surface." Jennifer paused looking down at the table.

"For Todd everyone is expendable for the cause, but not for me. When the travelers came, I took my chance and chased after you." John looked at Rodney. "The renegade Asgards were quite protective and it took me a while to fight them off."

"I wish there was some way you could have told me you were coming, I mean, I walked through deadly radiation for heaven's sake!"

"And you are still alive, Rodney," Jennifer reassured him.

A sad expression crossed Keller's face. "You know I was excited at first; knowing that the Wraith had agreed to the treatment."

The team looked at her.

"I was running simulations and Todd came by. I realized that the Wraith defined themselves by the war and they wouldn't want to be redefined. And not for the first time I had second thoughts about the mission."

Ronon nodded. "When the delegation arrived all I waited for was betrayal. I would have preferred having Sheppard with me instead of that talking bureaucrat."

"Ronon, Mr. Woolsey is not a bad person." Jennifer said.

"He doesn't know how it is in the Pegasus galaxy. He can't fire a gun." The Satedan crossed his arms. "I've never trusted a Wraith and I never will." He took a sip of his coffee. "All of a sudden more Wraith started turning up on the ship and what I had been waiting for happened, the Wraith took over command."

Keller let her hand run through her hair. "When we entered the atmosphere, I was convinced I was going to die. I remember thinking; it can't end like this." She raised her head and leveled her eyes with John's. "Then everything stopped shaking and I saw you on the screen. I was still alive; thank you."

"I don't let part of my family down."

"None of us will. We are a team." Teyla saw Keller's hesitation despite the fact that she was always welcome to them. "And you are included Jennifer."

"Thank you…" She yawned. "… if you are as tired as I am, I don't want to see you until tomorrow and then I want Rodney and John in the infirmary."

"But I was told I was doing fine," Rodney said suddenly worried about his condition.

"No need for special treatment, Doc." Sheppard replied.

"She pointed her index finger at him. "You take care of our family in your way and I in mine."

Teyla smiled. It felt good to have them all back.

oooooooooo

_The end _

_Please leave a review and tell me if it's good or bad. _


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